Today the Government published its draft revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for consultation, one year on from the publication of the Housing White Paper (HWP). This announcement is the biggest shake-up of planning policy since the introduction of the NPPF in 2012. Both the Prime Minister and Secretary of State spoke at the launch, highlighting the current political importance of housing and planning.
In the full report, we look at the extent to which key policy proposals from the HWP (see Policy Response: Housing White Paper). have made it into today’s revisions to the NPPF. It illustrates a real consistency of approach from Government. The main addition to the HWP proposals is the announcement on viability, with a Draft Planning Practice Guidance for Viability also published.
More detail and clarification will come in the revisions to the Planning Practice Guidance to be published later in the week, including how the standard approach to housing need will work. It’s only when we see these details that we can assess the potential impact of the changes on the delivery of new homes and how far they are likely to take us towards solving the housing crisis. The consultation runs until 10th May.
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